The Dolphins have spent almost two weeks talking about being a better road team entering today's game against the Bills. To Taylor, that means playing with an intensity and focus lacking in last month's 17-7 loss to the New York Jets.

"You just have to eliminate the aura of where you are supposed to be playing," Taylor said. "We're out of [New York City] now, so we won't see the bright lights, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, so maybe that won't scare some guys.

"There isn't a whole lot in Buffalo besides some wings, and hopefully that won't be a distraction."

The Dolphins have impressed at home in their rise to the top of the AFC East, posting victories over Denver (34-10) and Carolina (27-24). Coach Nick Saban admits he's not sure whether the distractions of playing on the road, which range from travel to a hostile playing environment, affected the performance against the Jets.

Regardless, the Dolphins couldn't mount an effective running game (66 yards) or convert most third downs (4 of 14). The Jets had success on 40 percent of their third downs (6 of 15), with quarterback Chad Pennington picking apart the secondary in a 19-of-30 outing for 190 yards with two touchdowns.

"All that I know is we didn't play as well, nor did we have the same mind-set," said Saban, who also lost all three of his exhibition road games. "We need to have consistency wherever we play. We have to continue to work and build on that. It is maturity. The more mature you are, the more you can do whatever you need to do regardless of the circumstances we are in and the less you are affected by things around you."

Saban has pounded that theme to his players before and after the bye week.

"When you're at home, all the surroundings are familiar," right guard Rex Hadnot said. "When you're away, that might tend to take the focus off what you're going to do. You've just got to focus, and that's what Coach has been preaching."

Said tight end Randy McMichael: "The crowd thrives off mistakes, when you're fumbling, jumping offsides and dropping balls. As long as we take care of those things, we'll be all right. The crowd shouldn't be a factor because they're not on the field. You just have to deal with crowd noise."

In their first road game, the Dolphins were playing against a Jets team that entered with a sense of urgency following a 27-7 loss to Kansas City in the opener. An even greater sense of desperation surrounds the Bills, who have benched struggling first-year starting quarterback J.P. Losman in favor of veteran journeyman Kelly Holcomb.

"Our defense hasn't played well enough really to get off the field to give us a chance to get the ball back," Bills coach Mike Mularkey said. "On offense, there's times we had protection breakdowns or our receivers haven't been consistent with route running. All of those things combined, to me, are a direct influence on how [Losman] progresses. I don't think any of us here expected him to come out on fire to lead this team with his passing."

Taylor said that he was "not going to make a big deal" debating whether the Dolphins are a good road team, which is understandable considering not even 25 percent of the season is completed. But Taylor knows an easy way to end any speculation.

"You line up the same way you line up in [Dolphins] Stadium and play," he said. "You hit the man across from you, dominate him, get in the huddle, do it again. At the end of the day, you put more points on the board than them. That is all that matters.

"You win. It is not that difficult."

Sun-Sentinel.com editor Keven Lerner contributed to this report.

The numbers don't lie

Statistically, the Dolphins were the better team in home victories over Denver (34-10) and Carolina (17-7) than in a 17-7 road loss to the New York Jets.